The Puzzle-Map of Life 95 



taneously elaborated b}^ Wallace and Darwin, the 

 Origin of Species was the foundation of the modern 

 acceptation of evolution, and natural selection was the 

 key-note of the origin of species, natural selection may 

 be called Darwinism with both historical and scientific 

 accuracy ; and in this sense of the term Huxley was a 

 Darwinian ; a convinced but free-thinking and broad- 

 minded Darwinian, who was far from persuaded that 

 his tenet had a monopol}^ of truth, and who delighted 

 in shewing the distinctions between what seemed to 

 him probable and what was proved, and in absorbing 

 from other doctrines whatever he thought worthy to 

 be absorbed. The present writer has thought it so im- 

 portant to distinguish between these two sides of the 

 word Darivinism, that for the sake of clearness he has 

 stated what he believes to be the truth of Huxley's re- 

 lation to Darwin before beginning detailed exposition 

 of it. 



In consideration of Huxley's position before 1859, 

 the most interesting feature of his zoological work is 

 the gradual preparation that it was making in his mind 

 for the doctrine of the Origin. He was like an engineer 

 boring a tunnel through a mountain, but ignorant of 

 how near he was to the pleasant valley on the other 

 side; and, above all, ignorant how rapidly he was being 

 met by a much more might}' excavation from the other 

 side. To use what is perhaps a more exact simile : he 

 was like a child with half the pieces of a puzzle-map, 

 slowly linking them together as far as they would fit, 

 and quite ignorant that presently the remaining half 

 would suddenly be given him, and with almost no 

 trouble would at once fit into the gaps he had neces- 

 sarily left, and transform a meaningless pattern into a 

 perfect and intelligible whole. Let us consider some 



